In the tech industry the idea of collaborating on projects globally has been around for many decades. They call this being open source which brought us the Linux operating system and is the foundation of all Mac OS’s. But could we bring this concept to other engineering disciplines?

Wouldn’t it be amazing to live in a world where building a house is as easy as constructing an Ikea shelf? A group of young designers in London set out to do just that when they founded the Wikihouse Project.

The way it works is a global network of companies would create plans where parts could be printed using 3d printers or cnc machines (a machine you can cut, drill and shape material). Anyone around the globe could download these plans and print them out at a local workshop then build the house themselves.

The main component to the houses would be something called ‘plywood fins’ that fit together like jigsaw puzzles. Everything would be assembled using pegs, wedges and mallets that could be put together in a few days.

Wikihouse is a revolutionary step toward a future where homes could be mass produced and affordable housing will no longer be an issue. The prototyping stage has been underway in New Zealand and they hope to be ready in about 12 months time.